Bread slicing machine



Dec. 5, 1939. H. J. CRINER BREAD SLICING MACHINE Filed Dec. 27, 1937 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS:

Patented Dec. 5, 1939 PATENT OFFICE BREAD smcmc MACHINE Harry J. Criner, Davenport, Iowa, assignor of onehalf to A. G. Bush, Davenport, Iowa Application December 27, 1937, Serial No. 181,744

5 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in bread slicing machines of the band-blade type and is applicable to machines employing either crossed or uncrossed blades to do the slicing, and may be used either with or without additional means for guiding and turning or twisting the blades as desired.

The objects of my invention are to provide automatically adjustable means to guide the blades at points which shall be at all times close enough to the loaves of bread being sliced to prevent any running-off of the blades that might cause irregularity in the slicing cuts or in the thickness of the slices.

I accomplish these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of my machine from the left of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of my machine;

Figure 3 shows a fractional sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows a fractional sectional view on the line l4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an end view of the shaft l8 with a side view of one of the guide levers mounted thereon;

Figure 6 shows a fractional detail with the guide members spaced apart instead of being in contact as shown in Figure 3;

Figures 7 and 8 show respectively a fractional top view and an end view of an alternate form of construction.

Similar numerals refer to similar throughout the several views.

Figure 1 shows a supporting frame comprising a base 5 with extended feet 6 and a vertical column l having a stiffening rib or web 2 formed integral therewith. This frame carries bosses 3 and 4, at the top and bottom thereof in which transverse shafts it and i2, are mounted which carry the revolvable pulleys 9 and H, around which the band-blades pass and by which they are driven in any of the usual ways.

Additional hubs or bosses I and 8 are formed upon arm 7 and 8 carried by the vertical frame member I. In the lower hub 8 is mounted a shaft 23 which carries a plurality of supports 2! slidably mounted thereon and securable in fixed position upon the shaft 23 by set screws or pins 25. Each of the supporting members 2! has a rearwardly extending finger 22 united thereto which may be provided with slots 26', as shown in Figure 4, through which the cutting blades 26 may travel.

The shaft 23 is provided with a plurality of parts bores 23' which may be spaced as desired so as to permit the supporting members 2| to be locked in the desired relative position thereon and these bores 23 are so spaced as to provide for slicing bread into slices uniformly of thicknesses which may be varied by changing the position of the supporting members 2i upon the shaft 23. The position of these bores 23 as shown is merely illustrative and it is understood that they may be spaced to meet the requirements of various cases.

The fingers 22 are preferably secured in line with the feed table 28 andmay be either level or inclined as desired. The shaft 23 may be secured in the hub by a press fit or by the spline 24 or by the set screw 8a, and is preferably made readily removable so as to facilitate changes and replacements.

The hub l is spaced a suitable distance above the hub 8 and carries a shaft 18 slidably mounted therein, which may be secured by a set screw la or other suitable means.

Upon the shaft 58 I mount a plurality of guide members comprising short levers l5 carrying bores near the middle thereof by which they may be pivotally mounted upon the shaft 58..

Each of the guide members I5 is preferably provided with a slot ll extending radially outward,

and pins 2!! have their lower ends inserted in bores 25) formed in the shaft IS. The pins 2% extend outwardly through the slots H and form stops to limit the movement of the levers E5 in either direction.

Each lever l5 is preferably formed with a triangular head, having sloping edges 55' and 55" and each head is provided with a slot I 6 through which the blades 26 pass. Each lever l5 may be provided with a counter-balancing weight is, the weight thereof being somewhat less than the weight of the triangular head and the weight,

' dimensions and positions of the pivot of the levers being such that gravity will hold the triangular head at its lowest permissible point of travel except when it is raised by the advancing loaves of bread to be sliced.

While I have shown counter-balancing weights I 4 as being a simple form of construction, it is obvious that the same result may be obtained by the use of other equivalent means, such as springs,

As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the levers 15 are free to move separately and entirely independently of each other. In Figures 7 and 8, I have shown an alternate form of device in which, instead of using a plurality of separate guide members, a unitary guide member I9 is provided having separate fingers l3 formed integral therewith, with slots 16 extending throughthe fingers l3 and through which slots iii the blades 26 may pass.

In the practical operation of bread slicing machines of the band-blade type, it has been found that where the guides for the blades are spaced at a distance of five-eighths or more of an inch away from the point of contact of the blades with the bread, the blades have a tendency to run off and cause irregular slicing cuts which leave the bread in irregular slices, and impede the operation of the machine.

I have found that by forming the movable guides for the blades so that each exerts its guiding influence close to the point of contact between the slicing blades and the surface of the loaf, this running-01f action can'be averted and slicing cuts will be true andthe slices regular in thickness.

As the loaves of bread as commonly madehave rounded tops, in order to secure such close contact, I prefer to form my guides with the triangular or pointed heads shown and so proportioned that as the tops of the loaves of bread contact the sloping faces iii" of the triangular heads, the triangular heads will be raised or lowered automatically and the guiding effect upon the blades will be continued at a point close to the surface of the bread.

Likewise, as the highest point of the bread passes the lower end of the triangular heads, the sloping face it will readily permit the triangular head to descend so as to continue its guiding effect upon the breadclose to the surface of the loaf and this action will be repeated with each successive loaf. i

It likewise often happens that the height of the loaf is greater at the middle of the loaf than at either end and for that reason I prefer to construct my apparatusso that each lever It) may move independently of its adjacent levers, but in cases where bread is baked in such condition and in such a manner that there is very little difference between the height of the middle and ends of the loaves, my guiding apparatus may be constructed in a unit as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, and in such cases, when it is desired to change the spacing, the entire unit it may be withdrawn from the shaft it by merely removingthe pin IBa which corresponds to the pins 26 heretofore described, and forms a stop to limit the rotation of the member 59 in the same manner as the pins 20 limit the rotation of the levers l5.

My apparatus may be constructed of any wearresistant material such as cast-iron, hardened aluminum, Bakelite, or other suitable material and I do not limit my claims to any particular material nor to the specific forms of structure illustrated in the'drawing, because many modifications and substitutions may be made without departing 1. In a bread slicing machine for slicing irregular or rounded loaves, the combination with a supporting frame, of a pair of spaced pulleys revolvably mounted therein, a plurality of bandblades passing over said pulleys in crossed form, means to support the loaves of bread while being sliced, and separately movable means spaced therefrom to contact the upper surface of the loaf of bread while passing the blades and to follow the contour thereof until sliced and to guide the blades severally at right angles to the line of travel of the bread progressively at points at the upper surface of the bread, during the entire slicing operation.

2. A bread slicing machine comprising a supporting frame, a pair of spaced pulleys revolvably mounted therein, a plurality of band-blades passing over said pulleys in crossed form, means to support the loaves of bread while being sliced, and slotted V-shaped guide members pivoted on the frame to turn and secure the blades into and at right angles to the line of travel of the bread and to guide said blades continuously at the points of the Vs in juxtaposition to the upper surface of the bread and following the contour thereof during the slicing operation.

3. A bread slicing machine comprising a supporting frame, a pair of spaced pulleys revolvably mounted therein, a plurality of band-blades pass ing over said pulleys in crossed form, supports to carry the loaves of bread while being sliced, a crossbar united to the frame spaced above the supports, counterbalanced guide members severally pivoted upon the crossbar, having substantially triangular slotted heads to guide the blades at right angles to the line of travel of the bread at points close to the upper surface of the bread during the slicing operation, said heads being freely movable vertically by the surface of the bread in contact therewith.

4. A broad slicing machine comprising a supporting frame, a pair of spaced pulleys revolvabl mounted therein, a plurality of band-blades passing over said pulleys in crossed form, means to support the loaves of bread while being sliced, and counterbalanced guides pivoted on the frame having slotted V-shaped members to turn and guide the blades at right angles to the line of travel of the bread at points in juxtaposition to the upper surface of the bread during the slicing operation.

5. A bread slicing machine comprising a supporting frame, a pair of spaced pulleys revoivably mounted therein, a plurality of band-blades passover said pulleys, means to support the loaves of bread while being sliced, and counterbalanced guides pivoted on the frame having substantially triangular slotted heads to guide the blades at right angles to the line of travel of the bread at points in juxtaposition to the upper surface of the bread during the slicing operation.

' HARRY J. CRINER. 

